International
Greens support UN Palestinian statehood
Greens Leader Bob Brown has called on Prime Minister Gillard and Opposition leader Tony Abbott to back UN moves to recognise Palestine as a state.
“There is a strong public mood in Australia for the Palestinians to be recognised as a nation and given equal status at the negotiating table for Middle East peace.
Senator Brown has given notice of a Senate motion for Australia to recognise Palestine. The motion to be voted on by the Senate in the next sitting is:
That the Senate notes:
(a) notes the asseveration of the Prime Minister (Ms Gillard) that, in the issue of relations between Palestine and Israel, ‘direct negotiation is the only true path to peace’;
(b) recognises that negotiations are most likely to succeed if they are between equals; and
(c) backs the United Nations initiative for recognition of Palestine as a member state.